How many seasons has Kenan Thompson been on Saturday Night Live?

Kenan Thompson makes history every time he steps onto the Saturday Night Live stage. The veteran comedian holds the record for longest-tenured cast member in series history, and it's not even close at this point.

Thompson absolutely clears previous SNL record holders like Darrell Hammond and Seth Meyers. Hammond stayed on the series for an impressive 14 seasons, and Meyers turned in an impressive 13 seasons, but Thompson has left them all in the dust with a staggering 21 consecutive seasons.

Kenan Thompson has been on SNL since 2003

The 50th season of Saturday Night Live will mark Thompson's 22nd season, which is a record that will likely never been broken. He has been a steady presence on the series since 2003, which mean he's been present for the entire tenures of stars like Kristin Wiig, Bill Hader, and Fred Armisen to name a few.

To put things into perspective, Fred Armisen is the fourth-longest tenured cast member in SNL history with 11 seasons. Thompson is about to double that number. The comedian talked about his unique feat during a panel at the SXSW Film Festival in 2017. He noted that the variety provided by different hosts ensures that it never gets boring:

"There aren’t many live shows left. It never gets old because it’s sketch comedy and it changes every week."

The comedian likes SNL's consistency

Thompson has come to appreciate the consistency that SNL has provided him. It has allowed him to pursue other ventures on the side, while providing a home base. "Predictability is not a luxury for actors," he told NPR's Fresh Air in 2023. "It's been nice to be able to - you know, be able to at least predict for one year, you know?"

In addition to starring in season 50 of Saturday Night Live, Kenan Thompson will appear in the upcoming documentary Child Star, in which he details his experience growing up as part of the ensemble for the Nickelodeon series All That.